The present invention relates generally to portable, combustion powered fastener driving tools, and more specifically to such a tool having a replaceable fuel cell or cartridge.
Portable combustion powered tools for use in driving fasteners into workpieces are described in commonly assigned patents to Nikolich, U.S. Pat. Nos. Re. 32,452; 4,403,722; 4,483,473; 4,483,474; 4,552,162; 5,197,646; 5,263,439; and 6,016,622 all of which are incorporated herein by reference. Similar combustion powered nail and staple driving tools are available from ITW-Paslode under the IMPULSE(copyright) brand.
Fastener driving tools using combustion are designed to be portable and to be temporarily hooked or clipped to a user""s belt while not in use. These tools include a gun-shaped metal housing and a magazine portion, which is attached to the housing and/or handle. Generally, the magazine retains a supply of fasteners which are fed to a drive track in the housing adapted to receive a fastener and to guide the fastener as the fastener is driven from the drive track into a workpiece.
The housing also includes a piston in a main chamber of the fastener driving tool which is mounted for reciprocal movement along the chamber. The piston is driven by products of combustion supplied to the main chamber by a power source or fuel cell container removably connected to the housing.
The use of existing fastener driving combustion power tools has certain disadvantages. Some current power tool designs protecting the power source or fuel cell offer only partial protection from external impacts, such as when the power tool is dropped. Other power tool designs that more fully protect the fuel cell are unwieldy. As an example, one known power tool design has a fuel cell partially shielded from impact by having one side of the housing protected by a belt clip while the other extended side is left unprotected. Other known tools have a housing that is extended to enclose a power source that is inserted into the housing through a door. Such tools, however, are also larger and more unwieldy as compared to less shielded power tools.
Another disadvantage of some existing power tools is that they are not easily storable at a work site during extended periods of non-use wherein a user prefers to store the tool. For the purposes of this application xe2x80x9cstoringxe2x80x9d refers to hanging or suspending the tool from a structural element. Although belt clips are known for storing tools during these periods, in some cases storing tools in such fashion results in unstable or extraneous movement of the tool while suspended. To overcome such problems, tools are sometimes stored on the ground, which is also unsatisfactory, since this type of storage exposes the tools to dirt, other hazardous ground materials, and/or unwanted impacts. Moreover, the tools are more susceptible to accidental contact and discharge.
A power tool constructed to drive a driver blade in response to power from a power delivery source to impact a fastener and drive it into a workpiece is disclosed having an arm member or hook for protection of the power delivery source and for storage of the power tool. The arm member is preferably rotatable between a closed position and an open position, based on user interaction. In the closed position, the arm member partially surrounds or at least partially encircles a fuel cell of the tool to protect the fuel cell from external impacts. In the open position, the arm member is configured for engaging a portion of a projection or structure, such as a rafter, ladder, or the like to hang and store the power tool during periods of non-use.